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NL: No Proof Cannabis Use Induces Schizophrenia-Study

Reuters

Thursday 19 Aug 2004

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AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - There is no scientific proof that cannabis use
induces schizophrenia, Dutch scientists say, questioning recent research
and an argument the Dutch government uses to crack down on
marijuana-selling "coffee shops."

In an article in this week's Magazine for Psychiatry, a peer-reviewed
journal, the three authors say that on the basis of currently available
data "there is no justification for the proposed closure of coffee shops."

Often the first symptoms of schizophrenia occur during adolescence, when
people start to experiment with drugs, but the scientists believe cannabis
use only has a negative effect on people already genetically predisposed to
the mental illness.

"It is therefore advisable that youngsters with a family history of
schizophrenia and patients with a schizophrenic disorder be discouraged
from using cannabis," the report said.

Subsequent Dutch governments have tightened rules on the sale of marijuana
in government-regulated coffee shops, resulting in a significant reduction
in the number of cannabis cafes.

A ban this year on alcohol in coffee shops will be followed by a ban on
tobacco in 2005, outlawing all smoking on the premises.

There are around 780 coffee shops in the Netherlands of which 270 are in
Amsterdam, according to 2002 figures.

 

 

 

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